fit the environment and at the same
time introduce some light and life to
that wall.
Perhaps the worst aspect is trying
to fit the drawing, as I have it in
mind, into the space. For this stage
I create a grid that’s adjusted to the
wall measurements. It’s the most
boring part. Once I have the grid
I enjoy the process a lot – every day
you see the evolution of the design
and people who pass by congratulate
you. I couldn’t ask for more!How did the idea for your fake
taxidermy come about?
Barrientos: The first animal head
we made was of an elephant. At that
time there was a great controversy
because the king of Spain was
hunting elephants in Botswana.
We weren’t trying to make a point,
but the subject came into our heads
almost subconsciously.
After this first head we began
to think about the animals that
are killed to be displayed in typical
mountain houses, and it seemed a
good idea to offer our animals with
this sense of friendly taxidermy.Were the masks an extension of
your taxidermy work?
Barrientos: Not really. We’ve always
liked this mixture of the surreal
with the real, which is the result oftaking photographs of people
wearing these masks. This project
is a means of experimenting with
new techniques.
I love all the traditional costumes
and rites that have developed from
around the world. It’s amazing how
some people from villages are using
the same costumes from years and
years ago, but they still have their
own particular style. We also have
our own carnival in Galicia, an area
of north-west Spain, which is where
we found some of our inspiration.
We call it Entroido.
We don’t know where we’re going
with our masks, but right now we’re
working on an interesting project
with the band Honolulu. We created
three bird masks for their music
video – we’re very intrigued to see
the final result.You produce editorial illustrations
alongside your art. Do you enjoy
working to a specific brief , from
time to time?
Galocha: I prefer doing my own
illustrations and capturing my ideas,
but when you’re asked for work of
this kind, it means someone has
picked you out for that commission,
so on the one hand you feel that
you’re doing well. Sometimes
I have insecurities and this type of
commission is gratifying in thatYou’ve been doing a lot of murals
recently. How did that come about?
Galocha: When I was young the
police caught me with some spray
paint in the street, and took me
back to my parents. I got a good
reprimand. Now my parents are
proud of the murals we do. Instead
of creating graffiti, I would paint
almost every day at home, and went
on to study fine art.
About three years ago, we painted
a friend’s house. We published
some photos and we contacted by
the organisers of several mural art
festivals. We also won a contest to
create a mural in Oviedo, northern
Spain, which we believe will become
part of the city’s identity.
Why do you enjoy mural work?
Galocha: One thing about painting
on a large scale in the street is the
number of people that can see your
work. It gives you the feeling that
you’ve brought some beauty to the
city, and seeing your work at that
scale is always impressive.
Barrientos: It’s also nice to meet the
people who live nearby. We have had
great experiences, and we now know
some incredible, kind people.
What were the challenges of scaling
up your work?
Galocha: Something that I like to
do in each mural, which I think is
sometimes the most complex part,
is to adjust the chromatic range to
COMPUTERARTS.CREATIVEBLOQ.COMFacing page:
traditional
costumes provide
inspiration for
Twee Muizen’s
masks (top left
and middle); Twee
Muizen’s murals
can be found all
over the world
(bottom left and
top right); the
pair describe
their style as
“pop surrealism”
(bottom right).
Above: a mural
celebrating writer
Leopoldo Alas
Clarín, which
the duo hope
will become part
of Oveido’s city
identity. Left:
Galocha branched
out into tattooing
around four years
ago, and has
developed
a separate style,
using only
black ink.AUGUST 2019
MURAL PHOTOGRAPHS © MIRAHACIAATRAS